NYC, what is it About You?

Go ask the Gershwins or Kaufman and Hart
The place they love the best
Though California pays big for their art
Their fan mail comes addressed to NYC

Guess who just got back from Manhattan? Me, me, me! And what a trip it was. Four days in the Big Apple for two very good reasons: Pie Face at the NY Fringe and Kenny Howard’s Birthday. Wild times were had with drunken Broadway style sing-a-longs that lasted until the sun started to rise, youtube face-offs, great friends, good food and quite possibly the most fantastic view of the city from the 24th floor at Camp Miller-Howard.

I have now seen Pie Face: The Adventures of Anita Bryant 11 times. Surely I am eligible for some kind of award now. The performances of David Lee’s hit play were held in the same theatre where Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song Trilogy had its premiere decades ago. To say that it is a very unique performance space is an understatement but David, Kenny, Margaret and the rest of Team Pie Face made the best of it. Not to mention that at both performances that I saw the audiences really seemed to love it. And get it. The reviews so far have ranged from pretty darn good to downright amazing. There is even a picture in Time Out New York. Great job guys.

The sights, the sounds and the smells of New York only added to the excitement of spending time with friends old and new. It was great to see Kenny again after three months of nothing but emails, texts and phone calls. I joked with him that he is going to have to re-learn how to drive a car when he gets home to Orlando after relying on cabs all summer. It might also take him a few days to stop reaching for the elevator button when he walks out his front door.

Producer Margaret Nolan was on hand for some of the festivities along with her girlfriend and full-time New York resident Marcy Richardson. For the most part the girls kept up with the boys and helped to make my trip a memorable one. Two fabulous ladies, one fabulous city and heads and hearts full of good times.

One of the most exciting elements of the trip was Kenny’s Birthday surprise. After weeks in the planning a limousine picked up six of us and whisked us across the bridge and into New Jersey (which, I must say, is a far prettier place than I imagined it to be). We ended up in the small hamlet of Englewood where we surprised Kenny with third row center seats to a Cyndi Lauper concert. Turned out that the seats next to Kenny and I were vacant so Barry and Tony were treated to an upgrade, joining us just as Cyndi was about to take the stage.

Cyndi rocked! Dusting off seldom-sung songs like Good Enough from the Goonies soundtrack, Hole in My Heart (All the way to China) from Vibes, and even two songs from her days with Blue Angel. She sang all of the songs that Kenny wanted to hear including At Last, Iko Iko and She Bop. Her son Declyn sat in front of us and was shooting video of his mom on his I-Phone. Can you even imagine what being the son of Cyndi Lauper is like? And will he be dating Lourdes Ciccone in five years? Stay tuned.

After seeing Cyndi on Sunday night Monday sort of paled in comparison. Went to Carmine’s with Barry, Kenny, David and Elan for some family style Italian fare. Apparently the Universe wanted us to sit at the exact same table where we all sat last summer because that is where the hostess sat us. After filling up on carbs, carbs, carbs, we did a bit of shopping. Actually Barry shopped while David and I listened to Kenny read aloud the just released review of Pie Face in The Village Voice (scroll down to mid page).

Back at the condo, Barry finished packing and said his good-byes as he and Jackie O had a flight back to Orlando to catch. I packed too and mentally prepared (with the help of some Xanax) for the flight home. And just when I thought I was going to have to leave New York without an up close and personal celebrity experience Kenny had one delivered right to his door.

Johnny McGovern, best known for his Gay Pimp character and for being a part of the team over on LoGo’s Big Gay Sketch Show came by the condo for a meeting with Kenny (the subject and reason of which I am not certain I can divulge at this time). Johnny has his own show in the NY Fringe and is always on the lookout for bookings, be it for his stand-up act, his one-man show or his singing. After business was handled we chatted him up for a bit about his upcoming projects, Orlando’s own Fringe Festival and Wonder Woman Lynda Carter. He is as sweet and personable as he is funny and we had a great time getting to know him a little bit better. There might be an echo in this blog but I have a feeling we will be seeing more of him in the not too distant future. Stay tuned.

Sadly, my trip was coming to an end and it was time to head home via Newark. David, Kenny, Johnny and I parted ways outside of Kenny’s building with hugs and well wishes all around. Rather than take a cab I dragged my suitcase the 11 blocks to Port Authority and to the bus to the airport. One last trek through the city that never sleeps, taking it all in. glad that I had been there but also glad that I was heading home to my husband, my dog, my cats, and my birds. Back to my own view from my own little corner of the world.

Good-bye for now NYC. Don’t worry, you know that I’ll be back eventually.